The Rotary Club of Newmarket (RCON) have done it again !


This time, a superbly restored 100 year old barn at Home Bay.
Now an all weather base for our island volunteer operations

December 2011
The RCON continued the Red Barn restoration process through 2011, replacing all the joinery, replacing exterior wall corrugated iron,providing power, restoring the adjoining stables and giving everything a lick of the original 'red barn' paint.

But that's not all folks. The RCON guys also built lockable storage lockers and made a number of seating benches - all much appreciated assets for the storing gear and providing lunch time seated comfort for our volunteers. See below for some before and after pics.

21 February 2010
"...We finished our Public Volunteer Day by joining the Rotary Club of Newmarket in celebrating the official opening of the Red Barn. Thanks to the support of RCON the Red Barn is now in great working order for our future volunteer days. The day concluded with our usual barbeque and debrief at the Reid Homestead, with volunteers and Rotarians enjoying the balmy Motutapu weather..." Belinda Vernon (Deputy Chair, Motutapu Restoration Trust)

Our good friends from The Rotary Club of Newmarket generously replaced roofing timbers and provided a brand new roof, guttering and downpipes. It is now a weather-proof structure perfect for volunteer briefings and for storing our equipment.

Check out the Before and After pics. The original photo was taken during winter planting 2009, the latest pic from February 2010. See the official ribbon cutting opening here on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKuDM8yVGbk

 Newmarket Rotary planning to restore our 100 year 'Red Barn' behind Home Bay

Its a real oldie but we would hate to see it go. Our Rotary friends inspected the barn and decided that it could be restored and used as a volunteers base, vehicle and equipment storage. The Department of Conservation agree. The structure has a sound concrete pad base and much of the timbering is not too bad. Horses used to be stabled on the right hand side of the barn. Over recent years it has served as storage for farm vehicles and a hobie cat.

Our Trust is excited about the opportunity to better shelter our volunteers particularly at lunch during the winter planting season. After 100 years or so there are quite a few leaks in the corrugated iron !

Some more before and after pics
(including the stables)